SETTING THE STAGE

The fourth season of the Trent Miles era continues on Saturday, November 5, as the No. 16/21 Sycamores host No. 1 North Dakota State in a Missouri Valley Football Conference matchup. Saturday's game is set for a 2:04 p.m. (ET) kickoff at Memorial Stadium (12,746). The game will air live on ESPN3.com, with Scott Warmann, Danan Hughes and Mick Shaffer breaking down the action on the field. The game can also be heard on ESPN Radio (92.7 FM), with Brian Fritz and Tom James calling the action for the Nelligan Sports Marketing Radio Network.

THE NORTH DAKOTA STATE SERIES

North Dakota State and Indiana State are meeting for the fourth time with the Bison holding a 3-0 lead in the all-time series. North Dakota State won the previous meeting - last year in Fargo, N.D. - by the score of 27-15. NDSU is 1-0 all-time against the Sycamores at Memorial Stadium.

THE COACHES

INDIANA STATE:  Trent Miles (Indiana State '87)

            - Overall: 12-30 (4th Season)

            - at Indiana State: 12-30 (4th Season)

            - vs. North Dakota State: 0-3

            - vs. Missouri Valley Football Conference: 8-21

NORTH DAKOTA STATE:  Craig Bohl (Nebraska '82)

            - Overall: 69-30 (9th Season)

            - at North Dakota State: 69-30 (9th Season)

            - vs. Indiana State: 3-0

            - vs. Missouri Valley Football Conference: 14-11

QUICK HITS

- Indiana State is battling a No. 1 nationally-ranked team for the first time since taking on Northern Iowa on Nov. 10, 2007 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Overall, ISU is 0-6 against teams ranked tops in the nation, including an 0-2 mark in games against No. 1 teams at home. ISU last faced a team ranked No. 1 at home on Nov. 19, 1994 against Youngstown State. Additionally, ISU is 0-18 all-time against a team nationally-ranked in the FCS Top 5.

- Indiana State is ranked No. 21 this week in The Sports Network/Fathead.com Top 25 Poll. This marks a new school record for the Sycamores as they have appeared in the national polls for a sixth consecutive week.

- Sophomore Shakir Bell leads the nation in rushing yards per game, averaging 156.0 yards per contest.

The Indiana State Head Coach

Indiana State head coach Trent Miles (Indiana State, 1987) is 12-30 (.295) overall in his fourth season as a head coach, all with the Sycamores. He is 8-21 all-time in MVFC games, including a 6-8 mark at home and a 2-13 mark on the road. During his career, he is 9-11 in all home games, 3-19 on the road and 3-3 in games decided by three points or less. Miles is 0-3 all-time against North Dakota State. With the Trees, Miles is 1-2 in overtime games, and 0-5 in shutouts. Saturday's game is Trent Miles' 43rd game as Indiana State head coach.

The North Dakota State Head Coach

North Dakota State is led by ninth-year head coach Craig Bohl (Nebraska, 1982) is 69-30 in his career and with the Fargo, N.D. school. He is 3-0 against Indiana State and is 14-11 against the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Scouting The Bison

North Dakota State enters Saturday's game as the No. 1 nationally-ranked team in both major polls - the first time the Bison have been ranked first in FCS football since holding the top spot in the FCS Coaches Poll in 2008. NDSU is a perfect 8-0 this season, including an unbeaten 5-0 in Missouri Valley Football Conference play. The Bison are coming off a 27-19 victory over No. 2 Northern Iowa last week and have been ranked in the Top 5 for six consecutive weeks. NDSU owns victories over Illinois State, Southern Illinois, Missouri State, South Dakota State and Northern Iowa in league play as well as a 37-24 victory at Minnesota on September 24. North Dakota State is lead in rushing by Sam Ojuri who has 490 yards on the ground, averaging 61.2 yards per game. Quarterback Brock Kensen has started all eight games and is 131-of-174 passing with 10 touchdowns and just one interception as well as 1,483 yards. Warren Halloway has grabbed 45 pass receptions this year for 605 yards, averaging 13.4 yards per catch and has visited the end zone five times.

A Little History

This marks the 107th season of football at Indiana State, dating back to 1896. The University did not field teams from 1899 to 1900, 1908 or from 1910 to 1919. ISU owns an all-time record of 350-473-22 and is competing for the 26th consecutive season as a member of the MVFC.

Television Particulars

Indiana State's game at Illinois State will be shown live to the world on ESPN3.com. In order to receive ESPN3.com, fans must subscribe to a local cable or internet company which is in partnership with the World Wide Leader in sports. Additionally, ESPN3.com is provided free of charge to all college campus and military internet providers.

What's Transpired

Indiana State is 5-3 on the season, dropping its season opener at Penn State by the score of 41-7 and downing Butler in the home opener 48-34. The Sycamores are led in rushing by Shakir Bell who has 1,248 yards on 151 carries, averaging 8.3 yards per touch with 11 touchdowns. Bell is also the national leader in rushing yards per game, going off for a 156.0 average per contest. Ronnie Fouch has completed over 56.4-percent of his passes, connecting on 93-of-165 attempts with 13 touchdowns. Justin Hilton leads ISU with 24 catches for 381 yards and four touchdowns while Alex Jones leads the receivers with 492 yards for the season, coming on 22 catches with four touchdowns. Aaron Archie leads the defense, recording a team-high 88 tackles on the season, good for 13th best in the country with an 11.0 per game average. Ben Obaseki tops the team with 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, including a 22-tackle performance on Oct. 15 against Western Illinois. Larry Carter earned MVFC Player Of The Week honors for his efforts against Western Kentucky as the Sycamores earned a 44-16 road victory over the Hilltoppers. The Sycamores won their first contest against a NCAA FBS Subdivision member since 2001 with the win over WKU. ISU stretched its winning streak to three games with a 37-35 home victory over Youngstown State - its first over the Penguins at Memorial Stadium in 12 tries. ISU secured its first 2-0 start to league play since 1996 with a 38-28 victory at South Dakota State. Bell once again led the offensive attack with 199 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns. Indiana State saw their four-game winning streak come to an end at Northern Iowa, falling 23-9 in the UNI-Dome. Shakir Bell gained 145 yards on 14 first-half carries, before an injury forced to sophomore standout to miss the second half of action. Ronnie Fouch threw for 136 yards and one touchdown, connecting on a six-yard strike to Justin Hilton late in the first-half. Indiana Stat got back on the winning side of things against Western Illinois, recording their third straight Homecoming victory with a 46-24 triumph. Bell ran for 213 yards and three touchdowns on the afternoon, while Fouch connected on four touchdown passes. ISU nearly was able to sneak out a victory at Illinois State, but fell 17-14. Trailing 17-6 in the fourth quarter, Ben Obaseki scored from one-yard out and ISU got the ball right back at the Redbird 13-yard line following a fumble on the kickoff return. The Sycamores were not able to cash in and fell to the Redbirds.

Earning National Respect In The Top 25 Polls

Indiana State is ranked No. 16 in this week's FCS Coaches Poll while placing No. 21 in the The Sports Network/Fathead.com Top 25 poll. The No. 16 national ranking is the second highest in the history of the program, behind a pair of No. 14 selections in both 1989 and 1995. The Sycamores have been nationally-ranked for a school record six consecutive weeks in 2011.

Against The Nation's Top Teams

With No. 1 North Dakota State invading Memorial Stadium on Saturday, the Sycamores will be looking to earn its first-ever victory over the top ranked team in FCS football. ISU is currently 0-6 against No. 1 ranked teams and is 0-18 against teams ranked in the Top 5. The last time ISU hosted a No. 1 team at Memorial Stadium came in 1994, a 14-3 loss to Youngstown State in the regular season finale. The last time an Indiana State team faced off against a No. 1 team came in 2007 in the finale at Northern Iowa.

Bell Becomes Quickest To 1,000 Yards In School History

It took sophomore Shakir Bell just seven games in the 2011 season to reach to 1,000 yard mark for the year, as the Indianapolis, Ind., native became the quickest runner to reach the milestone. Bell eclipsed the mark on a 51-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter against Western Illinois, blowing past the total by adding another long touchdown run, this time of 47 yards, later in the game. For the season, Bell has amassed 1,310 yards on 151 carries, averaging 156.0 yards per game and 8.3 yards per carry. The quickest that any Indiana State football player has ever reached 1,000 yards rushing in a season was Vincent Allen who eclipsed the mark in eight games during his freshman campaign in 1974.

Moving Up The Ranks

After just 19 games for his career, sophomore tailback Shakir Bell has moved into the top 10 in Indiana State career rushing history, passing Darrold Clardy (1,594 - 1981-84) on October 15 with his 213 yards against Western Illinois. Bell's career rushing total sits at 1,897, an average of 99.8 per game. Vincent Allen (4,335 -- 1973-77) and David Wright (4,181 -- 1992-95) sit atop the Indiana State record books.

Career Rushing Leaders At Indiana State

                                     YEARS         ATT.   YARDS  AVG.     TDs

1. Vincent Allen              1973-77          832     4,335     5.21       31

2. David Wright              1992-95          784     4,181     5.33       22

3. Derrick Franklin          1989-91          710     3,231     4.55       23

4. Eric Robinson             1979-82          443     2,169     4.90       22

5. Jake Shields               2001-04          521     2,119     4.07       19

6. Darrius Gates             2006-10          396     2,010     5.08       20

7. Jim Brumfield             1967-69          448     1,998     4.46       23

8. Shakir Bell            2010-pres.      246     1,897    7.70       13

9. Darrold Clardy            1981-84          355     1,594     4.49       19

10. Tori Vactor               1987-88          312     1,545     4.95       12

Moving Up The Ranks (Part II)

Senior quarterback Ronnie Fouch has racked up plenty of yards in his two seasons at Indiana State, currently sitting in fourth place in ISU's career record books with 3,682 yards through the air. Fouch passed Kip Hennelly (3,158 -- 1991-93) this season and currently sits behind Reggie Allen (5,094 -- 1978-81), John Sham (5,139 -- 1986-89) and Jeff Miller (6,448 -- 1982-85) within the record books.

Career Passing Leaders At Indiana State

                                     YEARS       COMP.   ATT.   YARDS   PCT.  TD-INT

1. Jeff Miller                   1982-85          555     1,006    6,448     .552     40-33

2. John Sahm                 1986-89          341       668     5,139     .496     30-38

3. Reggie Allen               1978-81          367       782     5,094     .469     29-46

4. Ronnie Fouch       2010-pres.      261      454     3,682    .574    33-12

5. Kip Hennelly               1991-93          249       490     3,158     .508     19-27

6. Julian Reese               2001-02          267       499     2,961     .535     20-21

7. Kevin Cox                  1993-96          238       528     2,885     .451     20-22

8. Kyle Frondorf             1986-88          208       391     2,778     .532      8-24

9. Blayne Baggett             2005            284       473     2,741     .600     15-13

10. Reilly Murphy           2006-07          212       406     2,514     .522     11-19

Making "Bell"-ievers Of The Competition

Indiana State sophomore tailback Shakir Bell went over the 100-yard rushing mark for the seventh consecutive game with his 123 yards on the ground against Illinois State. For the season, Bell has amassed 1,248 yards on the ground and needs 257 yards over the final three games of the regular season to break Derrick Franklin's single season school record of 1,505 yards rushing set in 1991. Bell is averaging 156 rushing yards per game this season, which is not only the top average in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, but is also the most in the nation this year.

Bringing Back Memories Of "The Fridge"

The Sycamores' junior defensive end Ben Obaseki found the end zone for the fifth time in his career on the offensive side of the football when he plunged in from one-yard out midway through the fourth quarter at Illinois State. For the season, Obaseki has scored a total of three offensive touchdowns rushing, reaching the end zone on all three of his offensive rushing attempts this year.

Keeping Up With The Jones

For the second consecutive contest, senior tight end Alex Jones scored on a pass play of over 75 yards when he rumbled into the end zone on a 77-yard pass play in the second quarter at Illinois State. In the previous game, Jones scored from 80 yards out on a pass from senior quarterback Ronnie Fouch against Western Illinois. Jones is the team's second-leading receiver with 22 receptions for 492 yards and four touchdowns. He is averaging 22.4 yards per catch and 61.5 receiving yards per game.

Archie Second In MVFC Total Tackles, Three Sycamores Featured In The Top Five

Led by juniors Aaron Archie and Jacolby Washington and senior Alex Sewall, the Sycamores have three defenders ranked in the Top 5 of the Missouri Valley Football Conference in total tackles. Archie is second in the conference with an 11.0 tackles per game average, while Sewall ranks third with a 10.62 average and Washington is fourth with 10.5 tackles per game. Nationally, Archie is 13th, Sewall is 16th and Washington is 17th.

All-Time Versus Nationally-Ranked Teams

No. 24 Youngstown State was the first Sycamore opponent from the FCS to be ranked at the time of the contest this season and ISU earned a 37-35 victory over them on September 24 inside Memorial Stadium. With the victory, ISU defeated their first opponent ranked in the Top 25 since taking down No. 19 Western Illinois on Oct. 23, 1999. The Sycamores are 9-72 all-time against FCS nationally-ranked opponents, including a mark of 7-53 against league members that are nationally ranked. Additionally, the Sycamores are 0-5 when they are nationally-ranked, taking on another nationally-ranked opponent.

Nationally Ranked Sycamores Vs. Nationally Ranked Opposition

Oct. 8, 2011       L, 9-23             No. 17 ISU vs.. No. 2 UNI           Cedar Falls, Iowa

Nov. 9, 1996      L, 19-34            No. 21 ISU vs. No. 3 UNI            Memorial Stadium

Nov. 18, 1995    L, 6-27              No. 19 ISU vs. No. 12 EIU          Memorial Stadium

Oct. 14, 1995     L, 10-27            No. 23 ISU vs. No. 18 UNI          Cedar Falls, Iowa

Sept. 9, 1989     L, 10-31            No. 14 ISU vs. No. 10 MSU         Springfield, Mo.

Big Plays Lead Sycamore To Victory Over Leathernecks

The Indiana State offense scored six touchdowns against Western Illinois on Homecoming Saturday, with five of the six coming on plays of more than 30 yards. After Shakir Bell scored on a six-yard touchdown run to opening the scoring for Indiana State, the Sycamores rattled of TDs of 34 yards (Donald Spencer reception), 80 yards (Alex Jones reception), 39 yards (Alex Jones reception), 32 yards (Michael Mardis reception), 51 yards (Shakir Bell run) and 49 yards (Shakir Bell run).

Bell Sets School Record Against Youngstown State; Earns National Honors

Indiana State sophomore running back Shakir Bell was outstanding against Youngstown State and for his efforts was named the Missouri Valley Conference Offensive Player Of The Week, The Sports Network Co-Offensive National Player Of The Week and the College Sports Performance Awards National Running Back Of The Week. Bell amassed 256 rushing yards in the contest on 21 attempts, averaging 12.2 yards per carry for the Trees. His 256 rushing yards are the most in a single-game by a Sycamore in the history of the program and marks his second consecutive 200-yard rushing performance. Bell is just the second-ever Sycamore to rush for over 200 yards in consecutive contests. Bell's 256 rushing yards broke the previous record of 253 held by Derrick Franklin against Murray State in 1990. Franklin is also the only other Sycamores to rush for 200 yards in back-to-back games back in 1991. Additionally, Bell found the end zone on the ground a total of four times, all in the first half. His four rushing touchdowns in one half is also a new school record. Bell scored on the game's first play from scrimmage on a 62-yard scamper just 18 seconds into the contest. He gave ISU a 14-0 advantage on a 39-yard scoring run just four minutes into the game and tallied a 62-yard touchdown on the ground in the second quarter. He finished off his masterful first half with a 51-yard touchdown rush with 4:03 left in the first half. His 62-yard touchdown run on the first play of the game is the longest scoring play for the Sycamores this season. Bell currently leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference in rushing yards per game with a 142.0 mark, a number which is second-best nationally.

Sycamores Beat FBS Western Kentucky In Impressive Fashion

Indiana State defeated NCAA FBS foe Western Kentucky, a current member of the Sun Belt Conference and a former member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (2001-06) by the score of 44-16 in Bowling Green. ISU broke a 12-game losing skid to the Hilltoppers and earned their first victory over a NCAA FBS school since a 2001 victory at Eastern Michigan. ISU's 28-point win over the Hilltoppers is the largest margin of victory for an FCS school over an FBS school since a 30-point victory by North Dakota State over Central Michigan in 2007. ISU's 44 points scored over is tied for the most points scored by a Sycamore squad against an FBS school with a 44 point outburst against Louisville in 1984. Western Kentucky has gone on to win four of its last five games since ISU downed them and is 4-4 on the season, including a 4-1 mark in Sun Belt Conference play.

Back-To-Back Non-Conference Victories For Indiana State

Indiana State's back-to-back victories against Butler and Western Kentucky are the Sycamores' first consecutive non-conference victories against NCAA Division I foes since the Sycamores downed Eastern Illinois, Murray State and UT-Martin in succession back in 2004. Likewise, the Sycamores entered MVFC play with a 2-1 record, its best start to a season since a 4-1 burst out of the gate in 2004.

Coming Up Next

Indiana State hits the road for the final time in regular season play with a 2:00 p.m. (ET) game at Missouri State on Saturday, November 12.